Sleepwalking Health Article

Definition

Sleepwalking is a disorder that occurs when a person walks or does another activity while they are still asleep.

Alternative Names

Walking during sleep; Somnambulism

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

The normal sleep cycle has distinct stages, from light drowsiness to deep sleep. During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the eyes move quickly and vivid dreaming is most common.

Each night people go through several cycles of non-REM and REM sleep. Sleepwalking (somnambulism) most often occurs during deep, non-REM sleep (stage 3 or stage 4 sleep) early in the night. If it occurs during REM sleep, it is part of REM behavior disorder and tends to happen near morning.

The cause of sleepwalking in children is usually unknown. Fatigue, lack of sleep, and anxiety are all associated with sleepwalking. In adults, sleepwalking may be associated with:

• Mental disorders
• Reactions to drugs and alcohol
• Medical conditions such as partial complex seizures

In the elderly, sleepwalking may be a symptom of an organic brain syndrome or REM behavior disorders.

Sleepwalking can occur at any age, but it happens most often in children aged 4 - 8. It appears to run in families.

Symptoms

When people sleepwalk, they may sit up and look as though they are awake when they are actually asleep. They may get up and walk around, or do complex activities such as moving furniture, going to the bathroom, and dressing or undressing. Some people even drive a car while they are asleep.

The episode can be very brief (a few seconds or minutes) or it can last for 30 minutes or longer. If they are not disturbed, sleepwalkers will go back to sleep. However, they may fall asleep in a different or even unusual place.

Symptoms of sleepwalking include:

• Eyes open during sleep
• May have blank look on face
• May sit up and appear awake during sleep
• Walking during sleep
• Performing other detailed activity of any type during sleep
• Not remembering the sleep walking episode when they wake up
• Acting confused or disoriented when they wake up
• Rarely, aggressive behavior when they are awakened by someone else
• Sleep talking that does not make sense